Towards An End - Change And Pass Through...

I’ve wanted to do another Towards An End post for a while now, so without further due; here is the “Change And Pass Through...” EP. This 7” was released in the fall of 1999 through the legendary Lookout! Records (Operation Ivy, Green Day, Rancid, etc.) and unfortunately it was the first and last piece of vinyl the band ever put out. Towards An End is often affectionately and nostalgically referred to as both “amazing” and “way ahead of their time” but I know many will disagree. Personally, they were and will always remain to be one of my favorite local bands from the era, but while I know that TAE was always one of the most beloved bands of the region, they were also one of the most despised.

As some of you may know, Towards An End formed in “The Valley” (more specifically San Ramon, CA) sometime in late-1997/early-1998 from the ashes Rely, who had just broken up. Drew, Todd, Darren, Mike & Matt (aka “The Twins”) got together with the intention of playing Hardcore with a ‘poppier’ edge to it (something relatively unheard of at the time). Influenced by bands like 7 Seconds, Shelter, H2O and The Get Up Kids; Towards An End gained almost instant popularity in the Bay Area.

The group would quickly release two well-received demo tapes and eventually go on to put out the CD EP “Chance Of A Lifetime”(available here) through local Bay Area label Give Me Strength Records. TAE played shows up and down the West Coast in support of their new release, but as some members began to focus on college (shortly after experiencing some rather unfortunate 'problems' with other local bands and having obvious 'personality conflicts' with various people from within “the scene”) the band would eventually begin to fade away…

These four songs were recorded sometime in 1999 at Nu-Tone Studios (Green Day, Samiam, Dillinger Four, etc.) in Pittsburg, CA. Shortly after the release of this record the band would break up… it’s too bad, because these are some of the catchiest songs they ever wrote or recorded. Although most people probably prefer their demo’s (which I eventually plan on posting as well), I really enjoy these tracks; I’d recommend this record to fans of bands like the Movielife, early-Get Up Kids, Saves The Day, etc. Come see what all the hype is about…

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Towards An End - Chance Of A Lifetime

Love them or hate them, you can’t deny that Towards An End definitely made an impact on the NorCal scene. Considered by many to be years ahead of their time, TAE played tremendously catchy pop punk (a phrase and genre I’ve since come to hate) that was equally influenced by bands like Shelter, H2O and early-Get Up Kids.

Formed in “the valley” around late 1997/early 1998, Towards An End featured ex-members of Straight Edge band Rely who had just broken up around the time. The band released two demo’s before they put this cd ep out on Give Me Strength Records (now defunct) in early 1999. They released a 7” on Lookout Records right before they broke up in 2000. “Chance Of A Lifetime” is probably my favorite release from this band, I would definitely recommend it to fans of late 90’s pop punk (early -Saves The Day, early-Get Up Kids, etc.) so if that's your thing, check it out.

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